


Systematic Desensitization- Trial One

by Spera_via



Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Gen, Original Character(s), Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-14
Updated: 2017-01-14
Packaged: 2018-09-17 11:34:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9321707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spera_via/pseuds/Spera_via
Summary: What happens when the Chancellor of the Sith Academy figures out your crippling phobia? Teal finds out.





	

Teal walked across the sands of the academy. At twilight, the heat wasn’t so bad and she could appreciate the beauty of the double sunset that spilled gold and fire over the sands. 

It had been a slow night all around. With the report about the serial killer aboard the ship, the Academy seemed like a safer place to spend her free time. Besides the fact that, if anything were to happen, there were multiple places to hide. There were also many sith and apprentices on the compound at any given time. Many, including the Chancellor, that Teal had been working hard on befriending. 

The bar on the sands had been empty except for two other women wrapped up in their own conversation. One was the Commander of the Medical facilities on the ship. The other, a member of the honor guard. Both, people she had only spoken to briefly. 

They acknowledged her presence, but went back to their conversation, leaving the ambassador unwind alone.

Reviewing datapads was nice, let’s face it. However, on a night when one wants to unwind with friends, or possible friends, they get boring fast. So she had packed up and headed to the other cantina location on the compound. At least there were dancers there. They were paid to talk to you if you talked to them first. 

Chuckling to herself at the thought, Teal stepped into the elevator and punched the ‘up’ arrow. The box rumbled to life, doors sliding closed around her, and rose, slowly and grumbling. Teal felt her hands clench into fists as the doors opened and the planet’s horizon greeted her through the entrance. 

Walking towards said horizon was a challenge. Stepping out onto the balcony was an even greater one. 

She exhaled and stepped forward, hugging the wall, intent on sidling all the way to her destination. Her eyes were locked on the floor. 

A shadow passed over her as she moved, making her look up. There, on the railing of the balcony, stood the Chancellor of the academy. 

He was wearing red, as he usually did, bare feet wrapped in tatters. He stood tall and still, eyes fixed on the line where the sky kissed the planet. He hadn’t turned when she entered, but seemed fixated on something far away, gaze drinking in dusky light from the slowly sinking suns. 

Her hand against the safe, steadiness of the wall next to her, Teal shifted uncomfortably and bit her lip. It would be rude to walk past and ignore him. However, it would be rude to bother him during a meditation. It would, also, be terrifying to walk over to him and follow his gaze. 

Hand still on the wall, she took a small step towards the Chancellor, keeping her gaze locked on his back so she wouldn’t have to worry about the view he was transfixed on. 

His form flickered like a candle in the wind, before solidifying again. The Chancellor was still, a statue in the dying light. Teal hesitated one more time before sighing and stepping back to the wall. He, obviously, was busy, and a closed area set into a wall was calling her name. 

As she took another step, the Chancellor vanished. The lights above her head flickered nervously as the banners around her rattled by an unfelt gust of wind. The jets in the fountain stopped churning and the water fell still. The air on the balcony held its breath and grew heavy with anticipation.

Teal froze and turned, looking over the empty balcony. She was alone. The hair on the back of her neck stood up as her gaze fell over the silent fountain. Frowning, knowing if she kept her gaze on that and not the horizon she would be safe, Teal took a step towards it. 

When nothing happened, she took a few more steps until she was at the fountain’s edge. She peered into it, her own confused face looking back at her. 

Suddenly, the water in the base of the fountain began to bubble and hiss as if it had been resting on a boiler. Teal slowly backed away from it. The lights flickered ominously over her. A rush of power raised goosebumps on her arms and a form appeared next to her. 

Gray, ethereal. As if it were made of mist trying and failing to take the form of a man. His helmeted face lifeless, his robes swaying and fraying around the edges. His entire being seemed on the verge of ghosting into smoke, or darkness, or light. 

Teal, in the midst of skittering away from the hissing fountain, froze at the sight of the apparition. Time seemed to slow as she stared at him, eyes wide with fear, a hand over her racing heart. A breath passed from her as they stared at each other.

It was as if that was a cue of some sort. The wraith let out an ungodly shriek and charged her. She stumbled backwards, not fast enough, as it wrapped its long fingers around her ankles, pulling her feet out from under her. She shrieked as she hit the ground and struggled as it began to drag her across the balcony to the railing.

She twisted, combat training kicking in, and broke the wraith’s grip on her. Teal rolled away, coming up into a balanced position, hands raised in front of her. They stared at each other, both stunned into stillness by her reaction.

After a pause, the wraith tilted its head, a predator reassessing how to kill its prey.   
Its form began to shimmer before splitting. The copy stepped to the side, shimmering with the original as they formed new wraiths that glided and circled around her. Teal felt the terror rise in her throat as she tried to keep them all in her sights. 

Her actions didn’t matter. As one, the four wraiths converged on her, pinning her arms to her side, and picking her, screaming helplessly, off of her feet. As one, the four carried her, ignoring her futile struggles and pleas for help, towards the edge of the balcony. 

They raised her higher, swinging her back as if to toss her over the edge.

The world suddenly shifted and spun. There she stood, next to the fountain. It was happily tossing water into the air and chortling as it caught the silver liquid in its basins below. The ambassador watched it in disbelief, trembling from head to toe, trying to wrap her mind around what had just happened. 

A hand was placed on her shoulder and a familiar voice asked:

“Something the matter Ambassador?”

She stood, shaking, for a moment longer, before her knees buckled. She hit the floor, gasping for air, wrapping her arms around herself as if to stop from shaking to pieces. She heard the person behind her shift, possibly crossing their arms.

“P-please forgi-give me, Lord Chancellor…” Teal stuttered. “I… I just ne-need a mo-moment…”

She heard the man sigh.

“Ah, something I’ve never witnessed before. A politician writhing in fear on the ground before me. Pity you aren’t my enemy.” 

Teal closed her eyes at his words, hugging herself tighter. She hung her head as hot tears of fear and shame spilled down her cheeks. 

“A-apologies, My Lord Chancellor,” She responded thickly. A moment of silence fell between them before she heard his soft footsteps on the durasteel floor. She glanced over to see him offering a hand to help her up. 

“Up we go Ambassador,” he told her. “Everything is alright.”

She didn’t look at him, trying to hide her tear-stained face behind a curtain of hair. She shuddered and exhaled, trying to get a grip on herself and push aside the embarrassment now mingling with her fear and shame. Sethluane tilted his head as he considered her. “You need to learn to control your fears before they control you,” He said finally.

He beckoned to Teal with his hand. 

She nodded and reached out, allowing him to help her to her feet. With her free hand, she rubbed her face, drying the last of her tears. 

“Yes, My Lord Chancellor. It is something I need to work on,” She responded. When she was on her feet, she let him go to hug herself together again and attempted a shaky smile. “Believe it or not, you are not the first to tell me that.”

He watched her flatly. “In any case, if you let your rival politicians see you acting like this… even though I’m sure there aren’t any here,” He paused, “Well, the cameras perhaps, they might use it against you.”

Teal felt her expression fall and sighed, trying to stop her lip from trembling. 

“Right again, My Lord Chancellor.” 

Seth recrossed his arms, considering her. 

“Outside of your little fit,” he said, gesturing absently with a hand before letting it rest against his bicep, “How are you?” 

Teal shifted, surprised by the question. 

“Me? I… I am alright,” She shuddered, the remnants of her fear draining out of her, but was thankful for a change in topic. She jumped at it. “I had a chance to talk with one of your apprentices earlier today.” 

He tilted his head, raising an eyebrow with interest piqued. He turned, and strode to the small sitting arrangement that overlooked the compound. 

“Please, come sit, Ambassador,” he requested politely. Teal watched him, relaxed expression hardening. Her arms tightened around her middle. Indecision made her shift uncomfortably. Sethluane sat down, completely relaxed, ignoring her unease. “Get over here. That railguard isn’t going to suddenly crumble into pieces and drag you down with it.” 

Teal paled as she looked at the railing. She hesitated for a long moment before stepping over to him and sitting down. Sethluane watched her expectantly, overlooking the fact that she had begun to tremble again. 

They spoke for some time, about his latest apprentice, another promising sith that Teal had the opportunity to spend time with. The conversation diverted her attention from the drop that sat next to her. Despite herself, she began to relax with the distraction of their conversation and appreciated Seth’s lack of comments on her emotional state and his own relaxed nature. 

As they spoke, he summoned a rock toward him from one of the many potted plants and began to turn it over in his hands, an absent-minded gesture, as they spoke. 

“I will have to probe my new Apprentice’s mind for further clarification,” He mused as their conversation came to an end, giving a slight nod to his companion. She smiled back. 

In a casual movement, he tossed the rock over the edge of the balcony. 

They waited to hear a landing, but nothing. Teal felt her stomach jump into her chest as her heart began to pound again. Her fingers began to feel numb. She clenched her hands into fists.

“Thank you for bringing that to my attention,” He said. Teal nodded, a polite smile on her lips.

“You are welcome, My Lord Chancellor-”

“Oh please, stop calling me that,” He snapped, cutting her off and causing her to blink at him in confusion. “We are in private company, no need to be so formal.”

She opened her mouth to respond in confusion, but he was tilting his head, brow furrowed as if he were listening to someone. 

“On second thought,” he said before she could speak, “you may continue calling me through my title. Is there anything else you need today Ambassador?” He stood up briskly, expression irritated as if he had just remembered that he had someplace to be and was now going to be inexcusably late for. 

Teal blinked at him again.

“No,” She said. She cleared her throat, remembering her manners. “No, My Lord Chancellor. Thank you for your time. I appreciate it.” 

He nodded. “Very well. May we meet again.” 

Turning on his heel, Seth raised his hand and waved lazily as he walked away. 

Teal watched him vanish behind the doors of the elevator, a frown on her lips at his sudden change of attitude. She looked around, blanching at the balcony, before half stumbling out of her chair and back into the safety of the wall.

The small cantina held no interest to her now. She was just going to go home.


End file.
